David B

Rebecca, I’m pretty sure that your fondant would be allowed, especially if you’re using commercially-produced (store-bought) marshmallows. However, I really don’t know what will be allowed for variations in terms of the sales limitations. It’s true that the law is more setup for producers with a few fixed items, rather than custom ones, which is…[Read more]

You would not be able to use the cottage food law (as I think you already know), but oftentimes the regulations for selling coffee are much simpler than getting a standard commercial license. Check with your ag dept, as the requirements usually vary between counties.

Holly, I don’t think you’ll make much progress until you contact the health dept directly. It doesn’t appear that this will get added to the approved food list anytime soon.

You need a commercial license: http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

Hi Justine,
I was wondering if you’ve made any progress getting licensed to sell fermented products. I’ve found it’s very hard to get any info in CA.

You can see the CDPH’s clarification in question 9 of their FAQs. The last sentence in that question, about selling outside your county, is no longer true for direct sales, which can now be made anywhere within the state.

Sorry, I’m really only familiar with the laws for items produced from home… food trucks have a completely different set of laws. I’d recommend you talk with the health dept to determine the easiest path for you to take (which probably wouldn’t involve the cottage food law, since you already have a food truck).

Generally speaking, any type of food that needs to be refrigerated is not allowed. Homemade mayo and garlic/oil mixtures are not allowed, and you would need to use a commercial kitchen to produce them. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

First of all, thank you for the response, very helpful.

What about a type of aioli with only garlic and oil as ingredients (no dairy)? Is there any place I can call to get more details on what is allowed and what is not?

Thank you again!

You would not be able to use the cottage food law. You would have to get a commercial license and rent a commercial kitchen.

I don’t think you have to have liability insurance, though some venues (eg farmers markets) may require it.

I think you could use that code, but a more accurate one may be 44529, because likely you will be selling your products outside your home.

You will not be able to use the cottage food law. Instead, you need to get a commercial license: http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial